Pneumatically-actuated tool.



A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL. APPLICATION F|LED-0CL 21. 1901. RENEWEDAUG. 29, 1912.

Patented J 11110 20, 1916.

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A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21. I907- RENEWED AUG- 29. i9l2.

Patented June 20, 1916.

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A. BALL.

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1907. REVNEWED AUG-29. x912.

Patented June 20, 1916.

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ALBERT BALL, 0F CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A.

CORPORATION OF MASSAGHUSETTS.

PNEUMATICALLY-AGTUATED TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1907, Serial No. 398,365. Renewed August29, 1912. Serial No. 717,786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BALL, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Claremont, in the county of Sullivan and State of NewHampshire, have invented an Improvement in Pneumatically-Actuated Tools,of which. the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

This invention relates to tool-actuating devices, being moreparticularly concerned with tool-actuating devices of the type wherereciprocations of a primary driving member, such as a piston, arefollowed by corresponding reciprocations of a driven member or workingpiston with the assistance of an intervening body of air.

The invention is here illustrated as applied to a plurality ofcooperatively arranged units, which are shown provided with suitablecontrolling devices for maintaining them in the desired workingrelation, the specific application made herein of the invention beingthat of a stone channeling machine to which it is particularly adapted,although by no means limited.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription when taken in connection with the accompanying illustrationof one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1. shows in end elevation, and by way ofillustration, a channeling machine embodying one form of the invention;Fig. 2 shows a front elevation, partially broken away, of the standardand channeling units of the channeling machine shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 2shows a detail of the air reservoir check valves; Fig. 3 is a plan view,showing on an enlarged scale, the channeling units and the drivingcylinder; Fig. 41 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line linFig. 3, showing the arrangement of connecting passages; and Fig. 5 is asection, on a somewhat reduced scale, taken on the line in Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, wherein one form of my inventionis presented and shown as applied to a quarrying machine, hereinrepresented as a track channeler, the body or frame of the channeler isindicated at 1, being supported upon suitable wheels 2, which areadapted to run upon the rails 3 customarily laid upon the quarry bottom.Power may be applied to said wheels in any suitable manner, as forexample, by means of a separate motor 4: mounted upon the base of themachine and connected to said wheels through pairs of worms 5, and wormgears 6 and axles 7, the direction of feeding movement being controlledby any of the usual clutch devices between the motor and the gears, butnot here in shown.

'In order to increase the working capacity of the channeler there areprovided, in place of the single channeling unit now generally employed,two (or more) channeling units each provided with a tool gang of theordinary size, said units being so associated with each other and withthe machine that they may be readilyhandled and controlled while greatlyincreasing the capacity of the machine. lVhile these channeling unitsmay be carried upon the truck in any suitable manner, there is hereshown for that purpose the swing-plate or standard 8 swiveled about theshaft 9, the latter supported in bearings along one side of the machine.The swing-plate is mounted for longitudinal adjustment, as is usual,lengthwise the shaft 9 and may also be given angular adjustment forcorner cutting away from the vertical plane, an adjustable brace-rod 10,connected at one end to the truck frame and at the other to theswing-plate, being provided to stay the standard in its upright orinclined positions.

Referring now to the channeling units,

the latter are two in number, although more vmay be employed if desired.The channeling units are provided with working cylinders 11 and 12,which, together with the cross-head guides 13 and 14, the latter actingto guide the tool-carrying cross heads 15 and 16, form a frame workgibbedto slide upon longitudinal finished ways 17 upon the standard 8.Any suitable means may be employed to move or adjust the workingcylinders vertically as the work progresses, but herein for this purposethe upper end of the frame has threaded engagement with sating piston,which latter is caused to pulsate 'or reciprocate in correspondence tothe reciprocations of a driving piston working in a driving cylinder,the latter connected to the working or tool cylinder.

In order that the two sets of tools may work together in some measure ofsynchronism, the channeling units are so associated withrelation to eachother and to the source of power that, while in normal operation,

the movements of the tool gangs are synchronous and preferably inopposed step, while on the other hand either tool gang may be drivenwhile the other is held inactive.

Referring first to the driving unit or pulsator, as it may be termed,the cylinder for which is shown at23 (Fig. 5), a single pulsator commonto both channeling units is employed, although a separate pulsator foreach channeling unit, may be used,'if desiredl While the pulsatorcylinder 23 might be arranged in any desired. location upon the jchanneleiyas a matter of simplicity and also to redu ce'the clearancespaces in the connecting passages as much as possible, thecylinder-is'preferably attachedto or formed integrally with the Workingcylinders 11 and 12and with them adjusted vertically along the standardor plate 8 by means of the feeding screw. The cylinder 23, whichpreferably,though not necessarily, has a capacity notless than thecombined capacitiesof the two working cylinders, is provided (Fig@ 5)with a driving piston 24 connected to the piston rod 25. The latter isattached to the cross-head 26 working in the depending cross-head guides27 and driven by means of theconnecting rod 28-, crank 29 and crankshaft30. The crankshaft may be driven ,in any suitable-manner, but it ishere shown 1 1),which may have a sprocket chain connection tothe drivingsprocket 32, the latter driven by the preferably electriclmotor 33, Vwhich is preferably adjustably clamped asprovided'with the sprocketwheel 31 (Fig.

upon the shaft 9 at. the end of the machine opposite to that at whichthe standard happens tobe fastened. Current may besupplied totheelectric motors 4 and 33 by any 1 ordinary cable connections, notshown; As

the driving'piston 24' is depressed vair is forced from the drivingcylinder into the bottom of the left-hand working cylinder 12, throughpassages to be described, forcing the left-hand working piston 34upward. The top of the left-hand working cylinder 12 is connected to thetop of the right-hand working cylinder 11, sothat as the piston of theformer is forced upward the piston 35 of the latter is forced down,causing its tool to strike the work, the air at the bottom of theright-hand working piston passing through a passage to the top of thedriving cylinder 23, and being drawn into the driving cylinder by thesimultaneous descent of the driving piston. In other words, in orderthat the two working units may operate synchronously, the opposite endsof the pulsator are connected with the lower ends of the workingcylinders respectively, and the upper ends of the latter are connectedtogether, so that the two cylinders are virtually worked in tandem orseries relation to the driving cylinder or pulsator.

'Referring more particularly to the details of the connecting passages,the lower end ofthe pulsator cylinder has open communication with thehorizontal passage 36 (Figs. 4 and 5) leading to the valve-plate 37 atthe front of the machine. Thence it passes upward and is connected bythe passage 38 (Fig. 4), in the controlling valve 39, with the passage40, which latter leads to the bottom of the left-hand working cylinder12. In a like manner the top of the pulsator cylinder has communicationwith the passage 41 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), which leads downwardly andthence outwardly to the valve blockwhere it is connected, through theconnecting passage 42 in the controlling valve 43, with the passage 44,the latter leading to the bottom of the right-hand working cylinder 11.

The upper end of the left-hand working cylinder has free communicationwith the passage45, which, in the position of the controlling valveshown, is caused to communicate with the short cross-passage 46 betweenthe two valves, which connecting passage at the valve 43 communicateswith the passage 47, the latter leading to the upper end of theright-hand working cylinder 11.

1 It therefore follows that, with the controlling valves positioned asshown, the air is forced by the pulsator into the bottom of each workingcylinder alternately, and by that cylinder into the top of the remainingone. The two units are therefore caused to make their working strokes inalternation, and this condition will hold so long as the controllingvalves are in the position represented by full lines in Fig. 4. As themachine is traversed to one end of the out there will, however, be lefta short portion of the cut over which one gang only has passed. To cutthis portion down to its proper level it is necessary to traverse themachine back and forth once or twice, a distance equal to, or possibly alittle greater than, the distance between the centers of the gangs.While this operation is taking place and the forward gang cutting, theremaining gang should preferably not strike the rock. It thereforebecomes desirable at times to operate both gangs simultaneously and atother times, for the above or other reasons, to operate one or the otheralone, the remaining one being idle or inoperative. Any suitable meansfor effecting this control may be employed, but in the describedembodiment of the invention the controlling valves 39 and 43 are suchthat they may be turned to throw out of operation one or both of theworking cylinders.

The stem of the valve 39 is provided with a hand lever 48, and that ofthe valve 43 with a hand lever 49. If the hand-lever 48 is turned to theleft of the position represented in Fig. 2, the ports of the valve 39will be turned to a position represented by dotted lines in Fig. 4,where the pulsator passage 36 connects with the cross passage 46, sothat the pulsator is connected directly and solely to the right-handworking cylinder 11, thereby rendering inoperative the left-handcylinder, While the right-hand gang continues to reciprocate. On theother hand, if the valve 43 is turned to the right of the positionrepresented in the drawings, its ports will assume the positionrepresented in dotted lines, and the right-hand cylinder be cut out ofcommunication with the pulsator, which latter continues to drive theleft-hand working piston.

In order to lift the working piston to the top of the cylinder wheninactive and to lift the too] gang out of the bottom of the out, thereis preferably provided some means for effecting this in conjunction withthe controlling devices, which cuts off the power from the pulsator; Inthe present instance, as an illustration of such an arrangement, I haveprovided means, set into operation by the movement of the controllingvalve for either cylinder, for admitting stored pressure to the bottomof the corresponding pis ton and opening the opposite side of the piston to the atmosphere, so that it will be elevated to the top of itscylinder, and there re main until the controlling valve is again turnedto connect it with the pulsator. This may be accomplished in any desiredway, but as here shown there is provided a reservoir 50 (Figs. 1 and 3),which, although it may be located at any desired position upon thechanneler, for the sake of convenience, here carried by the pulsatorcylinder 23. Pressure may be admitted to the reservoir from any suitablesource, but in the present instance it is connected to-each side of thepulsating system so as to be fed thereby.

piston passes the port 41.

For this purpose the pulsator passages 36 and 41 have communicationrespectively with the pipes 51 and 52, which pass out at the front ofthe valve block 37. The two pipes are )rovided with check valves at 53and 54 which open outwardly away from the valve block and permit airunder pressure to pass from either side of the pulsator through thecheck valves to the connecting pipe 55, which pipe enters the reservoir50. The pipe 55 also has communication through the pipe 58 2) with thepipes 59 and (30, which enter the valve block (Fig. 5) and have opencommunication respectively with the passages 61 and 62 (Fig. 4). Whenthe valve 39 is turned to the left, as described, the passage 61, which,it will be seen, is directly connected to the pressure of the reservoir50, is placed in communication with the passage 40 leading to the underside of the working piston 34 in the left-hand working cylinder. At thesame time, the passage 45 leading to the upper end of the left-handworking cylinder is placed in communication with the radial valve duct63 connected to an axial air passage 64 which opens into the externalatmosphere, so that, so long as the valve remains in the left-handposition, the piston and its connected tool are lifted to the upperextremity of movement. In a like manner the movement of the controllingvalve to a right-handed position connects the lower passage 44 of theworking cylinder with the pressure passage 62 and the upper passage 47of the working cylinder with the atmosphere through the valve duct 65and air passage 66.

It is preferable to drive the working piston from the pulsator piston bymeans of air pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and, in orderto build up the pressure of the system and to replace leakage, I have socon structed the pulsator that it will supply to the system at eachstroke an increment of air. For this purpose the passage 41, lead ingfrom the upper end of the pulsator cylinder, enters the latter a shortdistance from the upper end (Fig. 5) so that it is covered by the pistonnear the close of the latters stroke. The air trapped in the end of thecylinder is then expelled to the opposite side of the piston through thepassageway 67 therein, controlled by the ball check-valve G8,the air inpassing through said piston passage 67 escaping through the run-aroundport 69 in the cylinder walls to the lower end of the cylinder. Therun-around port is preferably so located that it does not re lease theair at the top of the piston until the latter has covered the passage41. On the downward stroke of the piston air is drawn in from theexternal atmosphere through the induction valve 70 until the Thisresults in an increment of air being admitted to the system at eachstroke of the working piston,

and the latter, therefore, builds up andniaintains the pressure of thesystem.

In order that the pressure may be increased uniformlyon opposite'sidesof the piston, means are preferably provided for effecting a gradualtransference or interchange of air between opposite sides thereof. Anysuitable means may be employed,- but 7 I have herein shown a receiver 71(shown only in Figs. 1 and 5) communicating with the pulsator cylinderat a point 1 intermediate its ends, so that it is alternately placed incommunication with opposite sides of the piston '24:, thereby preventingthe "buildingaip of an excessive pressure on or other suitable devicesmaybe employed,

one side of the'piston at the expense of pressure on the opposite side.7 t 7 Obviously other means for the preservation of the working relationbetween the Working cylinders, such as the provision of separatepulsators synchronously associated and are all within the spirit of thisinven- While I have herein shown and described one form of my invention,it is to be understood that the same is not limited to the details ofconstruction or the form or relait valve-controlled passage in thepiston adapt- T ed to' place the runf-around port in com:

piston, I p

3. Ina channelingjmachine, the combina- 7 tion with a truck, of aplurality of working'units, means for operating the same in 1out-of-step relation by reciprocating col-r V tive arrangement of parts,but that exten-v sive modifications maybe made in construc- I tionaldetails, as well as the application herein made of'the invention,without departing from the spirit thereof.

Cla1ms: V -1. The combinationwith a plurality of working'cylinders, eachwith its pistonoperated by reciprocating columns of air, means formaintaining a reserve supply of pressure fluid, and means for opening anend of either cylinder: to said reserve supply and the opposite'end ofsaid cylinder to theatmosphere.

2; The combination withra toolfcylinder, of a pulsator cylinder, aninduction valve for oneend thereof, a pulsator piston, a runaround port'in the cylinder walls, and a munication'withthe opposite side of theumnsofair,supportingmeans for said units 7 upon; which the'same arecarried at theside H of the truck in closely adjacent relation for;

working in thesame cut,rand means for cut- .;ting out of operation oneof said units and for lifting the corresponding tool from the bottom ofthe cut.

4. Theicombinationwith a fluid pulsator "f havin'gla cylinder andpiston', a plurality of" a, -tools each} with its working cylinder, and

piston, conduits connecting the same sides of the tool pistons with theopposite sides of the pressor piston and conduits connecting the othercorresponding sides of the tool pistons with each other, the capacity ofthe pulsating cylinder being at least as great as the combined capacityof said tool cylinders.

5. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, aplurality of reciprocatory tool actuating devices adapted to be operatedby reciprocating columns of air disposed in tandem relation andpositioned on said support to strike a downward blow, a working cylinderand piston for each of said tool actuating devices, pulsating means onsaid truck with connections to said cylinders for causing the pistonstherein to move in an opposed step relation, and means for cutting outof operation one of said tool units while continuing the operation ofthe other to complete the cut.

6. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof, aplurality of reciprocatory tool actuating devices adapted to be operatedby reciprocating columns of air and positioned on said support to strikea downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each of said toolactuating devices, pulsating means on said truck with connections tosaid cylinders for causing the pistonstherein to move in an opposed steprelation, and means for cutting out of operation one of said units atwill and for elevating the same to withdraw it from the work.

7. ;In a channeling machine, the combination with a truck, a support atthe side thereof, a plurality of tool units positioned on said supportto strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each ofsaid units, said pistons being adapted to be operated by reciprocatingcolumns of air, a pulsator on said truck, conduits connecting the samesides of the different tool pistons with the opposite side of thepulsator piston, con- "duits connecting the other corresponding sides ofthe tool pistons with each other whereby the tools are drivensimultaneously in opposite directions by the operation of 1 thepulsator, and means for cutting out-of operation one of said units atwill.

8. In a channeling machine,'the combination with a truck, a support atthe side thereof, a plurality of tool units positioned on said supportto strike a downward blow, a working cylinder and piston for each ofsaid units, said pistons being adapted to be operated by reciprocatingcolumns of air, a pulsator on said track, conduits connecting the samesides of the different tool pistons with the opposite side of thepulsator piston, conduits connecting the other corresponding sides ofthe tool pistons with each other whereby the tools are drivensimultaneously in opposite directions'by the operation of lli thepulsator and means for cutting out of operation one of said units atwill, and for forcing the working piston thereof toward the upper end ofits cylinder to withdraw its tool unit from the work.

9. In a pulsating system, the combination with a pulsating cylinder, apulsating piston, said cylinder having a passage leading therefromadapted to be covered by the piston by its movement in one direction, aninduction valve for the cylinder, said piston having a passage openingon the side of said piston Where said induction valve is located, acheckvalve controlling said passage and opening away from the side ofsaid piston on which said induction valve is located, and a passage fortransferring pressure fluid through said valve to the opposite side ofsaid piston when said first-named passage is covered, whereby pressurefluid compressed at the end of the piston stroke may be transferred tothe opposite side of the piston.

10. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof,a pair of Working cylinders disposed in tandem relation side by side onsaid support, pistons for said cylinders, a pair of channeling unitsoperated one by each piston, a pulsating cylinder and piston on saidtruck, connections between the pulsating cylinder and the workingcylinders to cause said channeling units to be operated in opposed stepby reciprocating columns of air, and a valve for each working cylinderadapted when moved to throw out of operation its channeling unit whilepermitting the other to continue its operation to complete the cut.

11. A channeling machine having a truck, a support at the side thereof,a pair of Working cylinders side by side positioned on said support,pistons for said cylinders, a pair of channeling units operated one byeach piston, a pulsating cylinder and piston on said truck, connectionsbetween the pulsating cylinder and the working cylinders to cause saidchanneling units to be operated in opposed step by reciprocating columnsof air, and a valve for each working cylinder adapted when moved tothrow out of operation its channeling unit while permitting the other tocontinue its operation, said valve when turned also admitting pressurefluid to the bottom of said cylinder to withdraw the channeling unitfrom the work.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALBERT BALL.

Witnesses:

LEE A. KNIGHTS, E. A. TRACY.

opilea at this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addreeeingthe Gommimiioner at E atenta, Mhinmon, M. 0.

